The Indiana Fever’s preseason has been a tale of two contrasting dynamics. Last Saturday, Stephanie White’s side rallied from six points down in the final minute of regulation to force overtime before overcoming the Mystics 79-74. Notably, this win at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse came without last season’s Rookie of the Year in their ranks. However, on Sunday, Caitlin Clark was back in the Fever lineup against Brazil and proved why she could be the key to her side’s success next season. Clark lit the court on fire with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists to lead a 108-44 rout of Brazil in front of a sold-out crowd at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Naturally, it garnered praise from White, who reaffirmed her faith in Clark taking shots beyond the arc.

During her 19 minutes on the court, Clark made six of her 10 shots, including four of her six 3-pointers, with a critical 36-foot shot during the most crucial quarter, sending the electrified crowd into a frenzy. Clark looks determined to lead Fever’s charge next season with the hope of going beyond the first round of the postseason. So, national reporter Lucy Rhoden decided to analyse where the Iowa alum stands when it comes to winning the MVP next season.

She pointed out the changing dynamics in the W that will have an effect on Clark’s role in the team. Hinting at Clark’s recent stint with the Fever on the Good Follow podcast on May 7, she said, “I think they’re going to make her less necessary for what the Fever are going to do, where she’s not going to necessarily need to be the center point for every single thing that is happening.”

Rhoden referred to the game against the Mystics. She was quick to point out how the team managed a win without Clark’s presence. Also, with rookies like Paige Bueckers making their way to the pros this season, for how long can Clark hold up the central position in the league? Talking about the year the overall 01 pick was drafted in the W, the reporter said, “I felt like last season that became the case a lot of the time. So I think that Caitlin will get better, but I think that she will get less prominent within her own team, which is a good thing for the Fever to win.” 

Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game with the Fever last year, earning her an All-Star selection, a spot on the All-WNBA First Team, and the Rookie of the Year award. Her impact was crucial in Fever’s first postseason appearance since 2016, but their roster is much more than Clark at present.

Head coach Stephanie White understands that the team at her disposal has gotten better. Apart from Clark, the team boasts DeWanna Bonner, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, and Aliyah Boston, who put on a solid show against the Mystics with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. All these players will be expected to lead the charge for Fever, taking some of the pressure and burden off of Clark. While this bodes well for the team, it could mean the contributions are distributed across board and the focus isn’t solely on Clark.

Lucy said, “I don’t necessarily know if that translates to the MVP race or not, but I’m not going to doubt A’ja Wilson. So I’ll just publicly say right now I’m picking Asia Wilson to win MVP.” Well, Clark remains a key cog to Stephanie White’s plans, and the HC was full of praise for her preseason show.

HC Stephanie White is all-praise for the Fever Superstar

Often called the ‘Stephen Curry of Women’s Basketball’, White referred to Clark’s Golden State Warriors counterpart and said, “That’s just who she is. I mean, nobody tells Steph Curry not to take good shots, right?” This statement from the HC determines her trust in the star player and comes in lieu of her shooting prowess after Sunday’s performance.

For Fever, concerns remain over their defensive play, but White made it clear that their offense needs to be on top of their game as well and highlighted a problem during the preseason. “Yeah, I think some of our rotations defensively, we had some missed rotations. We had some poor closeouts and certainly securing defensive rebounds… we did not do a good job,” she said after the Mystics game.

The new look Fever team would need time to gel, and White would also hope that Clark leads the charge not only to her MVP title but Fever’s championship aspirations.